


On Board

by Inrainbowz



Series: To Belong [1]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016), X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Eleven is a mutant basically, Family Feels, Gen, Mutants, Xavier Institute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-15
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2019-02-03 01:21:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12738153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inrainbowz/pseuds/Inrainbowz
Summary: Now setting aside the questions about the veracity of this story and the existence of that school, the perspective in itself was more than alluring. Jim was doing his best, he really was, and he knew that she was too, but there was only so much goodwill could do when raising a telekinetic child with scars as deep as El.People come knocking on Jim's door to offer El a place in a special school, for people like her. They decide to give it a try.Or, "El  goes to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters" AU





	On Board

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Cornelune](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cornelune/gifts).



> I blame my good friend Cornelune for this, because I'm weak for her requests and the idea seduced me. So this is the first part of a serie where El goes to Xavier's school. 
> 
> I'm saying it now, there will be some Cherik in there at some point cause it's one of the bases of our friendship. We have always dreamt of a X-Men sitcom that would be nothing but the children at the mansion and Charles and Erik being stupid in the background, so to honnor that there won't be any overachieving plot here. I'm mostly basing this on the movies since I'm not all that familiar with the comics but there will be some extra elements from them still. Not sure what is canon or not regarding the film and when this is set... Let's just say Apocalypse never happened and thus make this world a better place.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this.

They were wary, of course, the first time two young men knocked on Jim's door and asked to speak to the "young woman with special abilities" of the house. "Wary" was a bit of an understatement – Jim had immediately gone for the shotgun tucked beside the door and the air had suddenly been charged with electricity, the tangible sensation that always accompanied El's powers.

They weren't impressed though. The black man that seemed to be the most reasonable of the two had tried to diffuse the situation, apologizing for their bluntness, while his blonde companion just laughed a careless laugh. Jim had disliked him, but the other was making an effort to look non-threatening, and his skin had turned to rock just when El was peeking behind Jim's back, curiosity winning over caution, as it always did with her these days.

"We are just like you," the man had said gently to her, "and we just want to talk."

Jim had known, on some intellectual, abstract level, that El couldn't be the only one in the world. He had pried from her a vague tale about what she had been doing when she disappeared during the whole ordeal with the shadow monster – damn these kids for taking the monopole of monster naming – and he only understood that she had found one of her labmates and that she had been a very bad influence on her. Jim thought she would request to go after her at some point, but El had never asked. He had concluded that the experience hadn't been that enlightening after all.

It was one thing to assume though, and it was another entirely to have two strangers in their kitchen spewing nonsense about a school, a training program, and an entire bunch of kids with various abilities just like El. They had explained that the director of that so-called school, a professor named Charles Xavier, had sensed El's powers all the way from Westchester, presumably when she had closed the gate below the Lab. He had found her with a machine he controlled with his mind. At that point, Jim had stopped paying close attention. It was a bit much for him to handle.

Their visit wasn't of courtesy of course. They had come to offer a place to El, in their school.

Now setting aside the questions about the veracity of this story and the existence of that school, the perspective in itself was more than alluring. Jim was doing his best, he really was, and he knew that she was too, but there was only so much goodwill could do when raising a telekinetic child with scars as deep as El. Her powers were often spilling out of her control, she kept destroying things every time she lost her temper – and it happened a lot. Jim couldn't blame her. She was a teenager now and she had been through hell and back, she should have been allowed to be as moody as she wanted. But she couldn't, because there was only so many times a sheriff paycheck could pay for new windows, cutlery, and furniture.

They had explained that it wasn't uncommon for young mutants – that what they called themselves, mutants. It didn't sit well with Jim, it sounded a bit harsh, alienating. Anyway, it was usual for them to lose control of their power when stressed or angry. It was one of the many things they were supposed to learn at the school. Control. Jim couldn't deny it was tempting.

He couldn't trust these guys though. And besides that, there was still the problem of convincing her. She wouldn't be parted from her friends that easily, not after being away from them for an entire year, and not while they still couldn't see each other as often as they could.

He was already preparing himself for a long, tedious argument with the girl.

"We have to be very careful about this people but if what they say is true, I think it's worth a shot. It would do you good."

She had looked at him, face serious and unreadable as always. He always felt like she was mad at him, like he was constantly failing her.

"Do you not want me here anymore?"

"It's not that and you know it. I love having you around kid." It was the naked truth, as terrifying and life-changing as it was. "But there are things I can’t do for you, things you need help with."

She had cast a guilty look at the broken chair lying in pieces in a corner of the kitchen, a result of her getting frustrated at a failed baking attempt.

"Control," she had said, remembering the stranger's words. He had nodded.

"Yeah. Listen, I know it sounds scary and I'd understand if you said you didn't want to go but..."

"I want to."

"But I think it's real... what?"

"I want to go."

"You do?"

She had made that judging face she did when she thought he was being stupid.

"Yes."

And then she had added as an afterthought, almost to herself. "I want to not be scared anymore."

And so it was decided. Jim made his research – he checked with the doc, with the archives, with the police. The school was a legit thing and its director seemed genuine. They would go and see.

.

Jim had noticed, of course. Some kind of a rift had dug itself quietly between El and her friends, a rift that neither seemed to know how to breach. They were only kids after all. Just as good intentions couldn’t support Jim on its own, it couldn’t erase their fear either. She was not of their world, couldn’t share their life, go to their school, understand their problems.

As it was, he wasn’t as surprised as Joyce was by the lack of conflict in El when she explained to the others that she was leaving. Mike raged, of course, argued, accused Jim to be the one to send her away, but this time El stood her ground. She explained as clearly as she could that she wanted to go, she wanted to be able to live without the fear of her powers, reassured by the certitudes that there were others like her and that she wasn't alone. "You're not alone," Mike said. Jim wondered how much of that he truly believed. He was a clever kid, but he was only that. A kid. They all were. They couldn’t face the world on their own.

The night before they had packed her a small bag of her belongings – he would return with the rest if this proved as good a thing as it promised. The gang was there to see them off. She didn’t cry. She didn’t say much either. Jim thought she was already focusing on the future, steeling herself for a new, maybe scary life that she didn’t know what to expect from. Besides, at twelve years old, what did you know of “goodbyes?” They would see each other again. They still didn’t know any better, still didn’t ask themselves “when”.

Well, she wasn’t going to jail anyway. The men had assured him that he could visit her anytime she wanted and that she could spend the holidays at home, just like any boarding school. It would have to do.

They left early, before school so that the boys could be there, and so they could arrive around dinner in Westchester. El was quiet but not sullen – Jim thought she was actually excited but didn’t want to dream too much in case it was ripped away from her, again. He couldn’t offer much reassurance – he didn’t know what to expect either.

Around seven hours into the trip, El fell asleep against the window, leaving Jim alone with his thoughts while his gaze drifted over the monotonous landscape running away on each side of the road. He pondered how easily she had been convinced, so easily it could have been vexing, hurtful really, if he wasn’t convinced it was more of a blessing than anything else. They still weren’t sure about what they would find in a few hours when they reached their destination, but he had hope, despite his better judgment.

After a twelve hour ride and a big, if quiet lunch at a highway diner, they arrived around eight at the gate of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.

.

Every time El widened her eyes at something mundane because that she had never seen it before, like, well, everything that composed an honest-to-god Victorian Manor – spiraling decorated staircases, wooden ornaments, down to the fancy lamp holders – he felt, once again, like he had failed her. He knew that there was no way barely more than a year of television broadcast and English lessons could have taught her about the world at large, but still, couldn’t he have taken her to a museum or anything, just once? Hawkins wasn’t the most cultural town around, that was for sure, and he was a busy man. That did nothing to ease the guilt.

He couldn’t be blamed for her expression when a man with bird wings flew past them in a flutter though. He was sure he was sporting the same.

The black man who had visited them – Darwin he had said his name was – was also the one to welcome them at the gate and lead to the mansion. Then they followed him some more through a series of corridors and doors, deeper and deeper into the building. There were children everywhere, running around between rooms, playing outside in the fading sun. Some cast curious glance at El, but it was probably because she was a new face, something to be excited about. Compared to some of these kids – with blue skin, horns, or the aforementioned wings – she was inconspicuous.

Their guide knocked on a heavy wooden door, somewhere on the third floor.

“Professor? It’s me, I bringing the new girl.”

He got no answer but he nodded anyway and pushed the door open.

Only when he saw the man they had come to meet did Jim realized he was expecting something very different. Someone older probably, wiser looking. Some sort of Gandalf, he realized, embarrassed. Instead, they were faced with a man in a wheelchair that looked a few good years younger than him, even if his receding hairline was way higher – ha. His remaining hair was brown and wavy, probably a source of pride, once. But despite his youth, the man didn't look… young. Not really. His smile was soft and forlorn, his eyes soulful, haunted. Jim had looked him up the best he could and what he had gathered painted a turbulent picture. His gaze was kind though when it landed on El, who was unconsciously standing a little behind Jim, safely hidden while she assessed that new stranger. Jim put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and marched them into the office. Darwin closed the door behind them and came to stand next to the professor. Jim guessed it was as much for their sake, keeping a known face in the room, as for the protection of the master of the place, even if something told Jim that this man could very well handle his own.

“Welcome,” he said. His calm smile and gentle voice were kind of unnerving but they seemed to put El more at ease. “I’m Charles Xavier. I think your name is Jane, but I’m not sure if that’s how you like to be called?”

Jim opened his mouth to answer but a subtle glance from the man stilled his words. Right. The question wasn’t for him. But the question of her name was a sensitive topic still. Oh well, the man probably knew, or he wouldn’t have asked. They hadn't given too many details to Darwin and his friend about what had happened to her exactly, but it wasn’t hard to piece it back together, especially for them who had to have some experience with that kind of thing. No doubt they had done their own researches too.

El shook her head. “Mama gave me the name, but it’s not me. Papa called me Eleven. It’s not a name, but it's me. My friends call me El. Just El. El is a name."

Her aunt was the only one who could call her Jane, because that’s who she was to her. To the others in Hawkins she remained El, but she flipped if anyone called her Eleven. She had taken to wear a bracelet to hide her tattoo, although she didn’t want to hear about removing it. Something to do with her sister and the others like her probably, he couldn’t be sure.

“El it is then,” the man said gently. “I have a speech prepared for this occasion, detailing the way the school works and all the logistical details, but maybe there are things you want to ask first?”

He was addressing them both this time, and Jim realized that indeed the man and his staff had to be quite used to this. El wasn’t the only… mutant, and chances were she wasn’t the only mutant who had had a terrible experience growing up in a less than accepting world. Some of the kids here probably had fairly normal childhood – at least he desperately hoped so – but others…

He had never considered before that all in all, El might have been _luckier_ than others.

“Well, I guess you can understand how… hard it can be for us to trust you. El is in a dire need of some guidance regarding her abilities, that’s for sure. And I recognize that I’m not… I’m not qualified to give her that.”

“Are you her legal guardian?”

“I am, although not for long. Jim Hopper,” he added hastily, realizing he hadn’t even introduced himself properly.

“Well Mister Hopper, El is properly clothed and fed and seems well cared for. She obviously cares about you and trusts you, and you do too. I would say you didn’t do that terrible of a job. A lot of parents bring their children here for the same reasons you just stated – because they need a special care that is hard for them to provide. Mutant powers are volatile and can be dangerous, it’s a fact. There is no shame in needing our help.”

That sounded like a practiced speech, but one that was heartfelt nonetheless.

“Jim is good,” El piped at his sides. He stared at her, surprised, but she was looking resolutely ahead.

“He is, isn’t it?” the man easily agreed. “The children here come from all sorts of background, have all sorts of stories, good and bad”, he added, echoing to Jim’s previous line of thoughts. “I understand your concerns. You don’t have to decide anything today, or even tomorrow. Due to the often peculiar circumstances that bring the children to our doors, we welcome new students year round. You can stay here with her as long as you want. You can just visit today and come back later. It’s all up to you.”

Jim had come here having half a mind of hitting his fist on the table and doing a bit of threatening, just for good measure, but now he didn’t know what to do. The man was so freaking nice, it was unsettling. A bit unhinged, he turned to El.

“What do you think kid? Wanna have a look ‘round?”

She nodded slowly. She was still looking intently at the man, studying him. Jim was going to scold her for rude staring but she spoke first.

“Are you special too?”

Jim coughed, wanting to apologize for her bluntness but the man didn’t seem to take offense. He must have realized how important it could be to her, as Jim did. She had formed instinctively a kinship with her sister from the lab, an implicit trust born solely from the fact that they shared this difference that set them apart from the rest of the world. It was a huge deal for her to know if the adults she would be around here were of the same disposition.

The man gave her an indulging smile. The next moment a voice reasoned inside their head.

_Yes, young girl, I am._

Jim jumped, startled, and put a protective hand on El’s shoulders. Now that was a mean trick.

“What the hell.”

El turned toward him with a shocked expression on her face and really? She was shocked by that, not by the fact that the man had spoken directly inside of their head?

Yeah, she totally was. Her chill put Jim to shame really. She turned back toward the Professor.

“My sister can make people see things that are not really there.”

"I can do that too," he answered, aloud, thankfully. “And more. Where is your sister?”

“I don’t know. But we will meet again.”

The man nodded. Jim appreciated people who took children seriously. He wasn’t that stellar at it himself but he tried.

“I see. Well, you’ll have the occasion to meet people with all kinds of abilities here. The children of course, but the teachers and the rest of the staff too. Everyone is special here.”

Some children wouldn’t like to hear that, Jim pondered. Most people liked being special, unique. To El however, it was music to her ears. The perspective of being surrounded by people like her, of not being the freak in the crowd, was more than alluring.

“Shall we then?”

El nodded and turned back on her heel, making a show of opening the door with her mind. She was halfway through the corridor when she realized that they weren’t following as quickly as she wanted. The man had to maneuver his wheelchair around the desk and the chairs. She eyed the scene curiously.

“Why do you go around in this? Do you not want to walk? Can I have one too?”

Jim passed a hand on his tired face, mortified. He had lost count of the number of times he had thought things along the line of “why didn’t I teach her THAT”. Again the man only smiled, indulgent. He apparently had endless amounts of patience. Running a school for a bunch of super-powered kids, he had to, Jim thought.

“I got injured a long time ago, a wound that cannot heal. It left my legs paralyzed – it means that I can’t feel them anymore, or move them. That’s why I have the chair. I can’t walk. And I imagine it seems appealing seeing it like this, but it’s much more practical running around on two legs.”

She studied him a little while longer, trying to make sense of what he had just said. Eventually she shrugged and her attention drifted towards something else.

“Sorry about this,” Jim said. “She’s a bit new to the world, she hasn’t been in much contact with it.”

“It’s quite alright. She will learn.”

They started the tour of the manor. It was dinnertime so the corridors were mostly deserted, the residents all gathered in the dining room to eat. Xavier showed them classrooms, some bedrooms – up to four children per room, depending on the age group and availabilities – some of the facilities for training, the infirmary, the common rooms with TVs and games. The school was well equipped, much more so than Hawkins school and a number of other schools Jim had seen. They only got a glimpse of the site, the gardens, the sports courts. It was a beautiful place.

The man was keeping a constant stream of chatter, talking about the classes, the training, the trips to town and the downtown activities. El didn’t ask any questions but her interest perked up at the mention of going into town for movies or amusement park even if the man insisted on achieving a certain level of control to be allowed to go. That was the kind of motivation she needed.

She started to yawn after an hour of wandering through the corridors.

“Do you wish to stay the night?” the man asked. Jim consulted with El via looks and raised eyebrows and agreed. Immediately a teenage girl with red hair and a gentle smile came to meet them.

“Jean, this is El and her guardian. They’re thinking about schooling El here. They’re going to stay the night, could you take El to the guest room on the second floor?”

_I wish to speak to you some more, if it’s alright with you_ , Jim heard in his mind. He nodded briefly and gestured at El to go with the girl. She was wary, but also curious, Jim could tell. Speaking with another student would be much more insightful for her than the rambling of an old – in her eyes – man.

“You can join her later, the room is a double. I’ll have someone show you the way. Shall we?”

They made their way back to the study. The mansion was settling in for the night – Xavier wished a good night to the few students in their pajamas they crossed path with in the corridors. It was all very peaceful, relaxed. Jim was seriously starting to like what he was seeing.

“Please seat,” Xavier said once they were behind closed door again. His demeanor changed slightly – his smile fell a little, his shoulders too. The day was over for him as well, and an open and gentle disposition as he had displayed since their arrival couldn’t be maintained at all time, Jim supposed.

“Can I tempt you with a drink? Coffee? Scotch.”

Somehow Jim found this version of the man easier to deal with. He politely accepted a scotch and they stayed silent a few minutes, lost in thoughts about the hassle of raising children.

“What do you think of all this then?” Xavier asked after a while and Jim wasn’t sure but there was maybe a hint of vulnerability in his voice.

“It’s amazing,” Jim said sincerely. “Really, it’s… I’m glad, that you’d give that to El. I’m sure she’ll be too. It’s… after the… the way she was raised, I was wondering… There was a lot of people working in those labs you know. Not only the doctors and nurses but the guards, the technicians, the whole building. And I guess not all of them knew what was going on but still… I was wondering if that the common reaction then. When faced with those kids. Is that the standard, is that normal? I wonder how many people would think the same, if we were the exception and not the norm, me and the other people who tried to help her. And I guess… Well, there’s you for a start but you’re one… you’re like them. But even the parents of your students, they knew better, right? Some of them had to be well intended. And the people who helped set this place up, all that…I guess it’s reassuring. A little.”

An awkward silence settled on the study. The man looked a bit stunned.

“I’m sorry,” Jim said gruffly, embarrassed. He hadn’t realized how much this was eating at him. “I got carried away.”

“It’s alright. Thank you, for your words. It’s… you’d be surprised at how many people don’t react that badly to their children. And you’d be surprised at how bad people can be… even those of our kind.”

There was a new bitterness in his tone and when Jim realized his head from his glass to look at Xavier, his eyes were lost somewhere far away, in old memories and old pain.

“But since you broached the subject of El’s childhood, I need to ask if you could tell me about it.”

“We can’t… we were sworn to secrecy.”

“I understand that. Know that I could pry it out of your or El’s mind, but I'd rather not to. I need to know what happened to her, in order to be sure she’s safe here, mentally as well as physically. In case she’s being pursued, for example.”

Jim frowned. He didn’t think of that but of course, they had the right to know that people could come after El. But…

“It doesn’t mean we won’t take her in,” Xavier said, and Jim had to wonder if he was reading his mind or if he was just that perceptive. “She won’t be our first student at risk. But we… in addition to our educational mission, we carry other businesses here. Older students can stay if they want to, and they become teacher or part of a… let’s say a militant group, for mutant rights. We take great interest in people like the one who hurt El. We try to bring them to justice, if we can.”

“I did some research on this whole thing,” Jim said, gesturing at the air around him to encompass the school, “and I stumbled upon a mention of a… Magnet? And his terrorist group?”

Xavier snickered.

“His name is Magneto. He used to be one of us but he took a… different path. More violent, one would say.”

“I don’t want El to be part of any of that.”

Jim was surprised by his own fierceness. The man wasn’t.

“Of course the children don’t fight. They are at school here, this is a safe place. Although I have to be honest, we still train them to use their ability to defend themselves. The school is always at risk and the need has arisen in the past. Regarding Magneto and the fights they join or not… It’s up to them. Once they are adults, they decide what they want to do with their life. Whether they long for peace or war, the choice is theirs."

The bitterness was back along with an unnamable sadness that made Jim uncomfortable, like he wasn’t supposed to witness it. It was gone in an instant, replaced by a teacher smile.

“Concerns for later though. For now we’ll focus on her happiness and safety, I promise.”

Jim nodded and took a moment to think before making his decision.

“Alright, no one can know I was the one to tell you this, alright?”

“Of course. I understand. Thank you.”

“So it all started about a year ago when…”

.

The next morning when Jim woke up in the guest room, El was nowhere to be seen. He panicked briefly until a voice in his head told him to _calm down, she’s at breakfast, all is fine_. Huh. That sure came in handy. Like a built-in talkie walkie system.

In fact, there she was, sitting at the large kitchen table with a few other kids – lunch and dinner happened in the dining room but the breakfast hours were more flexible so the kitchen it was. She wasn’t talking but she was listening intently to a chatterbox sitting next to her, an Asian-looking girl with a yellow sweater, and Jim couldn’t tell what she was saying exactly but by El’s expression it was quite extraordinary. He looked at them for a while from the door, unwilling to disturb them. Only when they were done did he stepped into the kitchen to fix himself a cup of coffee.

A moment later they were back in front of Xavier’s office but before she could barge in without a knock like the terribly rude girl he was raising, he crouched down to her level so that they could look at each other properly.

“Okay kid. Looks like we have a decision to make. So what do you think?”

She never rushed to use word and she didn’t this time either. She stared at him, focused and unblinking, and he tried not to move as she searched for whatever it was she was looking for. Then after a while, she said tentatively, “I stay here?”

It sounded like a question. “You have to be sure. I’m okay with whatever you decide. Tell me what you want to do.”

She thought about it again before saying again, more assured this time, "I stay here."

He nodded but before he could stand back up, she grabbed her arm, looking worried all of the sudden.

“You stay here too?”

He swallowed hard. “No kid, I can’t. I have to go back home.”

“Home.”

“Yes, home. They need me in Hawkins y’know? I’m the sheriff.”

It sounded lame to his ears but she nodded seriously. He could tell there was something else she wanted to say so he waited patiently. Lord, how did Xavier do that all day.

“Can I… Can I come back too? If I want?”

He was overcome with the sudden urge to hug her tight. He settled for a hand on her shoulder, more practical to carry out a conversation.

“Of course, El. You can always come back. You will always be welcomed at my place, do you hear me? You remember that. This is your home too. Whenever you want, no matter what, you can come back there, and I'll be waiting for you."

She was the one to throw her arm around his neck and hold way too tight. Hugs didn’t come to her so naturally, which made them all the more precious. He settled his hands on her back, distressed as always at how small she felt in his arms, how fragile, and they hold on for a while, until the fear passed. He stood back up when she let go of him and she took his hand as they faced the study door.

“Okay. Let’s do this.”

.

She stayed by the gate as long as she could see his car driving away on the road, and even with the promise of coming back by the end of the week with the rest of her things, he still had to blink back tears once she was out of sight.

**Author's Note:**

> This is not beta'd and English is not my first language so don't hesitate to point out any mistake, and if someone is interested in betaing what will come next, hit me up!
> 
> Hope you liked it. The Chief's relationship with El was the highlight of that season for me. You can find me on [tumblr](http://inrainbowz.tumblr.com). I have no idea when the next one will come. Thank you for reading, don't forget to comment, bye!


End file.
